I know a New Jersey practitioner with excellent performance records on digestive disorders.

Also, is she already on a diet? She will need a lot of support since such young children do not prepare their own foods and tend to conform. She will need her own snacks/lunches/ between other kids and needs to have teh right attitude towards it.

What I recommend is a highly structured diet to begin with, adding single foods slowly to see what is tolerated adn what not. Its a long process.

I am an adult male, who has had Crohn’s for almost ten years. I am not a doctor, but have actively managed, with great success, my own care with doctors during this period. As the writer below stated, a critical component to keeping the disease under control is your diet. You must control and monitor your diet meal by meal. As you are likely Kosher, keeping to a Crohn’s diet is comparable to keeping Kosher. There will be some rules and all you need to do is follow them. Don’t deviate from them and you will be on your way to managing this disease.

As your son is very young, he is at an advantage because the sooner you start the proper eating habits the sooner he will forget that he ever ate differently. They will become routine and he will not feel that he is being deprived or singled out. (I have a son with a peanut allergy and he now rarely feels left out – presentation of the diet to your son will help you manage the diet and his expectations and feelings. In fact, my son sometimes feels special that he has to avoid certain foods). Family and friends will be honored to ensure that your son’s diet is achieved, even when you are not around.

I have been on a strict diet since being diagnosed and attribute my ability to limit flare-ups to my strict diet. If I stray from my diet, my body quickly reminds me of this fact. You should discuss an appropriate diet with a nutritionist and your doctor. Together you can put together a proper diet for your son that is manageable and works for him. Each person is different and his diet needs to be customized for his needs.

There is also a book that is out there called “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” that I picked up when I learned I had the disease. It seemed a bit much at the time to stick to that diet, but I modified the diet provided and said that if I ever got sick, really sick, I would be prepared to institute the diet. I have heard people rave about this book for serious sufferers. You may want to pick it up and keep it as a last resort. Mine is tucked away deep in my closet, but just ask and I can locate the author for you.

That leads me to the second component of the disease that is critical. You need to select a doctor with expertise in this field. It is still relatively a new field, but the medical developments, medication, treatment, and diagnosis is reaching new heights. In your situation, you need a doctor that deals with the disease and treats children as a child’s problems are different from an adult’s. Word of mouth is important. You need to speak to other families with Crohn’s children. How do you find them?

This leads me to the last part of your question – support groups. I am unaware of any frum support groups, other than this great website, but there must be groups out there and I strongly urge you to join or at least investigate the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Association (“CCFA”) as it is an incredible source of credible, valuable and current information on this disease. I am a member and I appreciate all that it offers. While it is a secular organization, Crohn’s is a disease that affects a disproportionate amount of Jewish people. There have been studies out that seem to reveal that this is an inherited disease. Many of the leaders of CCFA are Jewish. The website is www.ccfa.org As is Jewish tradition, a great deal of charity pours into this organization, I believe, because of the concept of tzedukah from Jewish people. CCFA has greatly enhanced the research in this area and they are close to finding a cure and are at the cutting edge of supporting research on effective treatments.

CCFA also offer support groups and great information. I have not needed the support groups, but I read the literature on them and it is fascinating. Also, the CCFA will keep you up to date on treatments and medication. In fact, you should call the CCFA and I am certain that they will find a support group for your family and your son. Perhaps, when you feel comfortable, if there is no support group for families in your situation, you may even consider forming one. There are lectures as well and events that are targeted for only children.

Since the book "breaking the vicious cycle" is built on a no carb diet, I would want to share with all of you this number of someone in Monsey, Weiss, that sells many items for this diet. My husband is suffering from colitis & I try to prepare meals accordingly. The most important thing that I find, is substituting the bread for something else that would satisfy him. I therefore make muffins out of almond flour (bought by DDI Digestive Diet) which is more easillly digested than wheat flour, & honey which is the only sweetener that this diet allows. This Weiss sells a cookbook with many special recipes & also the book of "breaking the...."There phone number is: 1845- 356-3504

Does anyone know how diet plays a role after resection surgery? I have had no symptoms in the past year after my surgery (B"H) however I would like to keep it that way. I am on medications, but if anyone has any experience with diet as well I'd love to hear... thanks

The message above about CCFA is really true. Not only are their magazines very informative, but the organization is very helpful and patient with all my questions...I would strongly recommend you all becoming members...

Unfortunately, each case is so fact specific, I do not believe that you will really be able to apply someone else's situation directly to your situation. Regarding diet, you need to tinker with it to see what works in YOUR situation. Like a science project, change your diet by varying one item at a time and see the results. Perhaps you can work with a nutritionists? Proper "dieting" is not just for us suffers. Diet is critical to every aspect of our health. "Garbage in, garbage out."

I have been on my diet since my first attack eight years ago. It is a modified diet because I have been blessed my good health since the attack. Then again, I take my medicine too and have attempted to control my stress. Whenever I deviate too much from my diet I feel the results, which helps to remind me to stay the course of a proper diet. Until there is a cure, I am afraid that this will be a bit of a roller coaster ride for you, but dieting will help make the valleys short and not too low. Remember, when you are feeling good enjoy it, but be cautious!

Lastly, your comment "I have a lot of things going on in my life" leads me to believe that you are very stressed. My readings, as well as my own body, have taught me that stress causes so much trouble for us with Crohns. I got my first attack when I was what I perceived as the most stressful time of my life. Stress is extremely damaging and you must do what you can to control it. If you need help dealing with stress then seek it out now. Do not go through this alone. Perhaps your care giver can make a recommendation or there may be another area of this website that may have helpful suggestions and referrals.

In sum, diet is forever and control your stress. This is true for non-Crohn's suffers as well. Again the CCFA may be able to assist you in both areas. Be well.

My 6 year old has eosinophilic disease and Crohn's. Since he requires exclusively elemental diet (Neocate) for the EG, his Crohn's is in complete remission. Unfortunately most doctors don't use elemental formula as tx for Crohn's since they see it as too restrictive (even though I know there are clinical trials which have shown it is effective in treating Crohn's), but it is common practice in treatment for EG (since for most patients there is no other treatment except a central line instead of any feeding). If other dietary changes are not helping, though, you might discuss the possibility with your GI of using elemental formula. It is not very palatable, though, I'm afraid; most EG patients require gtubes due to the anorexia associated with that disease, so when they can't drink enough Neocate/EleCare the rest can be tube fed. I know that most Crohn's patients don't have gtubes, though, so the palatability is a bigger issue I'm afraid.

My daughter, now a teenager, was diagnosed at age 10, and was critically ill for nearly a year. After a single infusion of remicade, she was stablized on 6MP, & was doing well for many years. Diet was never much of an issue for her, except when she was flaring & hemhorraging. Even with her very narrowed intestine, the only items she has to limit are popcorn, nuts & raw cauliflower & carrots. I know others who are very restricted, & can't have as much as a sesame seed. Everyone is different, & you have to find what is best for the individual.

Are you saying that this remicade stuff can actually cause bad stuff? I just turned 23 and my dr. recommends now remicade.. for my ulcerative colitis.. im just sick and tired of all these wield meds that do crazy stuff to you.. and these diets that are all bets off.. auhhhh..

It has been a few months since you changed your diet and I was curious to see how it was working out. Hopefully, you are doing much better. Remember, diet works in conjuntion with any medicine. Good luck.

Thanks for asking. I'm not on the diet now, i tried to stay away from onions, cabbage and grapjuice strictly for a few weeks, i don't know if there was a difference. I'm finding it very very VERY difficult to be on the diet. I can't find the right one for me. now i just eat whatever i want, i also get migraines lately, bad ones so i was told to stay away from certain foods cuz of that, in other words I can't eat anything, so i eat everything, it's terrible i know. i think maybe after pesach i'm gonna buckle down.

Ray,Glad you are feeling a little better. I guess "diet" is the wrong word, because it does seem like you made some adjustments. Good for you. I think the first step is to eliminate 100% the foods that cause you problems. Eliminate a new problem food each week and soon they will all be gone. Once you get that under control, you can move onto what you should be eating. In the interim, you may want to consider some vitamin supplements because with the elimination of some foods, you lose some important nutrients. For me, I take Calcium supplements because I have eliminated almost all diary products from my diet. Giving up Pizza and ice cream was very difficult for me! I have also eliminated all alcohol. That was a huge difference. It was not easy, but it is done and I feel very good and proud of myself, which helps in other areas of life. I guess Pesach is not the time to make too many adjustments. You should be a little more affirmative on the after Pesach goal. "I think maybe" seems a bit too hedged. Make it happen and you will feel better. You can do it! When you get a chance you may want to look into a book called "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" which is a little technical, but people with stomach problems live by it with good results. It may be a little bit too much of a change at this point. Good luck and have a great pesach.

Ray - you wrote that you are getting migranes. Are you on any medications? maybe it's a side effect? I used to get headaches a lot and my doctoer lowered my dose of mesalamine (pentasa) and i rarely get headaches anymore, B"H. good luck with your "diet" struggles, and a happy and healthy pesach to all!!!

This is my son's first Pesach with Crohn's and I daven that we will get by without a flair up. WE will not be at home and he just had his fourth remicade infusion. B"H he is doing much!!!!!better. Thank you Hakadosh Baruch Hu!I wish all of you a Chag Kasher V'Sameach and an easy yomtov (Crohn's wise).Miriam

Hi! I'm new here so please excuse any stupid questions.I am 23, and am expecting my second child this summer. I was diagnosed with Ulcertive Coloits about 2 years ago after suffering for almost ten years. I was perscribed Asacol, seems to help, but could be much better, recently my dr. added Mercaptopurine, and the number of Asacols I take daily keeps changing, now I'm on 8 tabs, I'm scared to tell him that it's not that great, cause he'll just up it to 10! Diet doesn't really seem to help, I was off dairy for a while, off spicy foods (which I think does help).what's this about Remicade? How does it work? I never heard of it.I'm thinking of finding a new dr. should I?

Hello! B"H our first Pesach with Crohn's (my son's) went fairly well. He did flare up slightly from the matzoh, but having had his infusion of remicade right before yomtov helped!!! He is not on a diet, except to drink lactaid free milk and reduced dairy diet along with no fried foods, no nuts or corn, and no whole wheat breads.Feel Good,Miriam

dear devorah leah - first of all besha'ah tova!!! I am also 23 -although single and with crohn's...one thing that i know for sure is that you must be honest with your doctors -even if it means increasing your dose of asacol! (I take pentasa/mesalamine which is in the same class of drug as asacol, and at one point I was taking 16 a day along with other medications -so it could always be worse!) It'svery importatnt to have an open, honest and trusting relationship with your doctor - if that means finding one you can trust better an feel more copmfortable with, so be it however you might want to wait until your "flareup" - is there such a thing with UC?- is over before switching to a new doctor.Also, I have been told that it's worse to have a flareup while being pregnant than taking medications to control it...this may be different with UC than Crohn's- but still, I think you should tell your doctor of your symptoms and get your UC under control - especially being pregnant!hatzlacha rabbah -and feel good!!! hang in there...

Also , here's what I know about remicade: its an IV infusion of a drug that is suposed to be a "quick fix" although it's temporary. You must really find out more about this before deciding because a lot of people have negative reactions to it. Also once you use it , I thinkk it's harder to keep further flareups under control without it....look it up online under medical websites (medline, ccfa), talk to your doctor, then make an educated decision...it always helps to come to your doctor with some knowledge regarding the issue before you discuss it so you have a better understanding of the issue.

Thanks Member;wow, 16, that's alot. B"H things are better now, though they could still be much better.Is Remicade for UC too, or only for Chron's? (though I probably wouldn't want it, I wasn't even going to go to a Dr. I wouldv'e preffered trying Homeopathic remedies, but whatever). And yes, there are flare-ups and all in UC as well.

Ray;Where's the diet on digestivewelness, I looked for it, all it's telling me is to buy their products. Is that what it means to follow their diet? Just to buy from them? I thought it was like ideas and recipes.

Ray: as of now I am only on meds and maintaining very well b"h without any specific diet. in dec of '03 I had surgery and since then I have been symptom free B"H Bli ayin harah!!! So now I guess I wait out for my next flare to start experimenting with the diet. For me I never really had a speific diet because my case was so severe that within a year of my diagnosis I had the surgery, so it's all guesswork from here on in...

devorah leah: I am happy to hear that things are better for you bh - as far as remicade for UC I have no idea. It's best to ask a medical proffesssional. Also are you a member of the crohn's and colitis foudnation of america (CCFA)? If not, you (and anyone else reading this) should really consider it. It's an anual fee - reasonable one- that gives you a subscription to their magazine which has a wealth of information, contacts and references. For example the altest one gives a list of websites that are reputable to look up medical issues on (www.webmd.com, www.health.nih.gov, www.fda.gov, www.pdrhealth.com, www.hon.ch/HONcode/Conduct.html) Also check out www.ccfa.org

Do you currently see a homeopathic doctor? or was your message implying that you see a regualr medical doctor now and would like to see a homeopathic one? I am curious as to the homeopathic approach. I have also heard of a man in Israel ( i am not sure if he is a doctor, rabbi or mekubal or a combination of them) but he deals with crohn's and i think also UC - supposedly the people who see him don't have to take meds anymore. IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED in this I believe he is coming to the NY area soon - I know someone who is going and can try to get more info...

Ray - yes I have heard that about the diet - it makes sense..I have not seen that website yet although I will try it. I dont know if its the same as the diet from the book breaking the vicious cycle? as for meds I am on 6mp (purenithol) and pentasa. I also take lactobacillus.

Ray - I have read parts of the book...before my surgery when my flare was really bad and I was willing to try anything. Since my surgery I had forgotten about it because I have had no symptoms bli ayin harah. Now I will look into it again because it would be nice to push off any new flares as long as possible. For some reason I can't access the website...can you please write out the address?

I am happy to hear that you are feeling well b'h - any small progress is motivation to continue! keep it up!! -member

Stars N Sky - from what i understand, both crohn's and colitis make up what's called IBD - inflammatory Bowel disease. Therefor they both involve imflammation in the digestive tract. colitis is usually localized to the large intestine and crohn's can affect any organ of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus - although it is usually found in the small intestine.. as far as symptoms colitis causes bloody diarrhea and pain during stool passage. Crohn's causes abdominal pain, diarrhea, malabsorption, bloody stools and other complications.....this is textbook but everyone's symptoms are different which makes both hard to control. Neither has a cure, only treatments to try to control symptoms.

(None of the above is a way to diagnose one's symptoms - this is all merely found in any medical dictionary...)

Dear Sara,As a wife of a husband with colitis I understand that it is not easy & definitely not cheap. Since your talking about nuts I find it interesting to share with you that I just read in a book that nuts is not to good for UC. I am not contradicting anything from the book "breaking the vicious cycle". but I just wanted to share this info with you. Feel great everybody!! Have a happy & healthy summer!!!As a by-the- way, last summer my husband felt so great he ate everything that was served in the hotel we stayed. Starting from eggplant parmisan to deep fried stuff, & everything in between... We don't know if it was the stress-free enviroment or the fresh air in the mountains. refuah shalima to everyone.... M.D.

Hi everyone,Since my son has been om remicade for the past 6 months, he is feeling much better. He is not yet back to normal, but is getting there quickly. I am waiting for him to start growing again. He has started to gain weight B"H and hopefully the height will come soon as well. WE did need to buy new shoes because he outgrew the old ones, not wore them out B"H!!! This is the first time in 2 years that he has shown any growth!I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying yur summer.Miriam

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